An Evening in Port Puerto
by Tessie42
Summary: (Reader X Orlando) Go on an evening date with Orlando the woodcutter through the seaside markets of Port Puerto!


_You first met Orlando back when you were a Fledgling, riding into Port Puerto on the back of a Castellian rental horse, both steed and rider worn out and covered in dirt. Seeing a young woodcutter, leaning on the handle of his axe and wiping his forehead under a Palm tree, you dismounted to ask directions to the nearest inn. Startled, Orlando turned to you with a horrified stare. He pointed to the main street, turned away from you, and resumed his attack on the unlucky Palm tree._

 _Eventually as he warmed up to you, you found yourself coming more often to Port Puerto to talk to him. One day, he worked up the courage to ask if he could join your adventures every now and again._

 _Now, he has finally asked you to a date!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Orlando the Woodcutter or Fantasy Life, including Port Puerto, Mt Snowpeak, Nautilus Cave and the Elderwoods. Fantasy Life is the property of Level 5._

 _Constructive comments welcome. Enjoy!_

* * *

Twilight fades into night in Port Puerto. Street lamps light up, glowing like amethyst deposits from the nearby Nautilus cave, and a warm breeze blows, carrying with it the smell of summer tropical flowers.

You are running from your house, located on the east edge of Palace Way, towards the large main staircase that leads down to Port Puerto Marketplace. In your hand is a folded seashell-print letter: Orlando's note to you, to ask if you could meet him this evening at the Goddess statue between Palace Way and the Port Puerto Marketplace. Having just returned from a bounty quest in Mt Snowpeak, you only received the letter this morning. Would he still turn up if you hadn't answered?

You try to smooth down your hair as you run. Soon up ahead you see the stone Goddess statue, holding up a fire-lit torch. She sits in the centre of the top staircase landing, where you have arranged to meet. In Port Puerto, she is surrounded by a circle of Palm trees.

Orlando is already there, waiting for you.

From a distance you see his tall figure, shoulders strong from years of felling trees, and his blonde ponytail. He's standing under a Palm tree, leaning against its bark and scuffing the ground with his boots. His hands fidget constantly, now that he is not holding his Woodcutter's axe. You see him turn around and tap with his knuckles on different parts of the tree bark. Likely, he's listening for a weak spot that he would aim for if he were to chop it down. You sigh and chuckle.

He turns to you as you approach.

"Oh!" He looks at you, then to the ground. "I was just – you finally – I mean, you look good, er – no! Good to see you," his voice falls to a mumble and he wrings his hands. "I was getting nervous, waiting – not long, of course!" He looks at the Palm tree for reassurance and clears his throat, "I was just-"

You smile, take both his hands and laugh.

"H-hey!" He flinches. Once you let go and reassure him you understand his meaning, though, his shoulders relax.

He scratches the back of his head and looks to the side.

"I, uh, I got you something, by the way," he says.

Now you're the surprised one. Tilting your head and putting your hands behind your back, you watch him reach into his bag – the same leather one he always uses, because there's the Apple Applique you used to repair it when he got a big rip along the side. He reaches inside and brings out a large magenta flower hairclip.

"I thought, maybe, it might suit you. But I know, you fight monsters and all-"

Your face lights up as you touch its petals – you can smell the perfume, with a hint of the sea, as if it had been freshly picked from the beach!

Orlando finally smiles, and you thank him. As you're about to take it though, he lifts it up and reaches towards your hair! You feel a gentle pull as he pins the clip to the side for you. Then he pulls back, flushing, and looks at the ground.

"S-so, let's get going?"

You head together through the marketplace. Sometimes, one of you pauses to look over the railings at the sea, or at the seashell-shaped lights strung up between lamp-posts. Over to your right, you see the floating pirate ship dressed in purple weather-eroded banners. The ship is attached to the main harbor of town by a series of planks. A few pirates are still hanging about, haggling over swords at the weapons shop, and a fisherman sits by the large hole in the planking, wearing a scale-patterned hood.

Most of the Port Puerto residents are still outdoors for the evening, shuffling from shop to shop in couples or small groups, wearing thongs and seafarers' outfits. As you stroll along Port Puerto Markets, you hear intermittent shouting for discounted Marine Silk, Seashell buttons, Puerto Bream, Mermaid Armour, and other local wares. At this hour though, the sellers are mostly chatting to customers and passers-by.

Orlando looks towards the carpenter stall. Neatly squared and cut logs of timber, ranging from shades of earth-brown, to the rare glimmering blue Spirit Tree logs, lie arranged in piles on a heavy table. Next to them are craft materials like Leather String and animal hides. There's also a selection of sea coral necklaces and gemstone pendants placed under the nearby lamplight.

"Orlando!" The stall owner, a stout middle-aged man in a stained white singlet and seafarer's shorts, his grey hair tied back by a bandanna, waves in your direction. Orlando's face breaks into a grin as he waves back.

"Old Timber! How're you?" he calls back. "He's a retired pirate! Now he buys wood off of me," Orlando adds in a whisper to you as you both approach.

"I'm choppin' well, choppin' well! Hang on-" Timber turns away to attend to a customer. You and Orlando examine a Water Spirit tree log, glimmering blue and translucent. When you look up, you notice Timber is watching the two of you. He seems to watch how closely the usually shy Orlando stands next to you.

"Oh?!" A grin spreads on his wrinkled leathery face, as if he's just come across a treasure chest. "Oh! I never thought I'd see Orlando with a human girl! I betted you were gonna marry a tree!"

Orlando flushes. He stammers something you can't understand. You laugh and pat his arm reassuringly.

With a wide grin showing tooth holes, Timber gestures to the necklaces and winks at you. "What about being treated to one of these?" He picks up a black leather pendant with a single, tear-drop shaped blue gem hanging from it. "An aquamarine necklace! Mined straight from the depths of Nautilus Cave! What do you think, eh?"

Orlando's beginning to fidget and stammer again.

"W-would you like one?" He glances quickly up at your head where his flower hairclip sits in the shadows, and then at the gleaming gemstones on the table under the lamplight. You shake your head.

"No?" says Orlando, messing his hair with one hand. You smile, and point to something else.

"What? Monster Hide?!" Orlando's eyes and mouth open wide. It's for a Duelling outfit, you explain, and you'd like that much better. Orlando sighs, his shoulders relaxing.

"I shoulda known..." He asks Old Timber to cut a large-size piece, and you take the roll of thick black Monster Hide in your arms, delighted. Smiling, you say your goodbyes to Timber, leaving him looking very confused.

The two of you continue on until you reach the Cocina Rica restaurant. Sitting at a circular outdoor table, you both sip on Summer Nectar drinks by the water. Looking up, you notice white parrots asleep in the trees and point them out to Orlando.

"Yeah, you're right! I can see them if I look real close." He folds his elbows on the table and asks, "So, where've you been up to?" Orlando doesn't go past the local beachside often, and loves hearing about the lands outside.

You tell him about an adventure in Waterfall Cave, and describe battles, blow by blow, with Armoured Crocs, Sharks and Punching Palms on Tortuga Archipelago. You also tell him about your most recent expedition to the top of Mt Snowpeak, where you battled a Snowfang and more importantly, cashed in a large bounty for it. Orlando gasps and laughs; some of the places are familiar to him and he interjects, but he's mainly listening.

Ah, that reminds you! You reach in your own bag, and pull out a small clear glass flask. A cherry-red liquid swills around in it.

It's a power-up potion. You tell him it'll give him the power boost he needs to fell a rare Spirit Tree, his current ambition.

"F-for me? You really shouldn't have!" He sighs and lays his elbows on the table. "It'd be great if I could go adventuring on my own one day too..."

You tilt your head and nod.

"It's- I'm just a simple Woodcutter. I can use a dagger but – but you can't defeat an Armoured Croc with that! And -" he looks to the side, "and here I am dreaming up going into the Deep Elderwood, past all the Killer Bears and other monsters and cutting down the Spirit Tree. It sounds- it's just – it's silly!"

You smile. Opening your small bag, you pull out a pair of old Quilted Mittens. They're not quite symmetrical, and you point out how the diamonds making up the quilting pattern are also uneven. You turn it inside out. There's fraying edges too, and you show him how bits of stuffing are already coming out between the seams.

It's one of your earliest projects from your Tailor Life. Most of your projects turned out like this when you first started. Now, though, you head out to caves and waterfalls in Frigid Armour you crafted yourself.

"You – you think I could do it too, you mean?" he asks. You nod and enthusiastically answer yes.

He looks away for a while. Then he slowly smiles and looks back at you.

"Thanks."

You both finish your drinks, and head to the port overlooking the sea. While you lean on the railing, breathing in the salty sea air, you point to boats leaving the harbor and ask Orlando about them. Orlando's watched them come and go for years, talked to their captains as a boy, and tells you all about the routes they take throughout Riveria. Of constellations, you both have no idea, so you just make them up.

"There, that's the axe shaped one there," Orlando points skyward, "and that one's got a bird shape – that kinda curved wing there-"

You tell him you think it looks more like a fishing hook, and both of you laugh.

Eventually, you both decide to head back. Tomorrow you will be heading out early on an expedition to the Elderwood.

Orlando walks you back home. At the door, he stops and takes both your hands, leaning towards you slightly. He's been very quiet the whole way home.

"H-hope you liked our, um," he's begun stammering again, "- the outing- no, our d-date." He clears his throat. "Be-before you go..." He stutters, but he can't finish his sentence.

Crickets begin to chirp. You hear the water washing against the harbor, and a breeze runs through your hair.

Orlando looks at you and takes a deep breath. His pupils dilate and his eyebrows narrow, the way they do just before he's about to fell a large tree.

You put a finger to his lips. You understand. A playful smile crosses your face as you go up on tip toes. You lean towards him, and touch his cheek with your lips.

Orlando freezes. His eyes widen until you see the whites of his eyes, and his face flushes.

You stand back a bit, and laugh. He slowly thaws, and puts a hand to his cheek. Seeing you laugh, he also gradually smiles.

"Well then...ahem! G-gotta go for tonight," he says at last. You nod, smiling and heading up the stairs to your front door. You unlock it and pause to look back. Orlando's still standing there.

"Goodnight!" he calls to you, and waves. You smile, and stop to wave and call back to him as well, before closing the door.


End file.
